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Snowy Egret by Sarah Chan

Field Trip: Fall Birding for Beginners at the Los Capitancillos Ponds (San Jose)

The Los Capitancillos percolation ponds, located between the Cambrian and Almaden Valley areas of San Jose, are a great birding location for wintering ducks. We’ll spend the morning scanning the ponds for American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, and Ruddy Ducks. If the gulls are around, we should be able to pick out some Iceland and Glaucous-winged from the Herring and California Gulls. And, we will check out the pond edges for Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper. We may also see raptors.

Trip Difficulty: 2-3 miles, gravel trails, packed-dirt trails, little or no elevation gain, some shade

Leaders: Peg Albrets (408) 891-3554, Bill Albrets (408) 891-0646, Carlos Mendoza (408) 427-7209

English will be the primary language of this field trip, but other languages spoken by our trip leaders include some German.

Beginner Friendly, Loaner Binoculars Available, Family Friendly Ages 10 and up, no elevation gain

Meet: trail entrance on Singletree Way in San Jose

Directions: Directions: From CA-85 in San Jose, exit Camden Ave. Drive south about 1 mile. After crossing over Blossom Hill Rd and just past the school, turn left onto Singletree Wy. The trailhead is on your right in 0.2 miles (after the PG&E substation). Latitude/Longitude: 37.234266, -121.899898

Facilities: No toilets or drinking water, cell phone service

Parking Type and Fees: street parking, no fees

Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvbirdalliance.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.